Dakota Ridge golfer Sydney Merchant, teeing off during a tournament in Golden last month, is undefeated this season as a 16-year-old sophomore. She placed third in the Class 5A state tournament last year.

LITTLETON — Like Babe Ruth calling his shot, Dakota Ridge golfer Sydney Merchant told her coach she was going to shoot a low score at The Meadows Golf Course in Littleton on April 21.

“I didn’t go out there with a certain number in my head. I expected myself to shoot under par, and it happened to work out,” she said.

No kidding. The 16-year-old sophomore shot a 9-under-par 63 — a course record for a female. Picking the brains of other coaches as well as the state’s high school activities association, Dakota Ridge girls golf coach Levi Bartholomew said no one could come up with another performance to match Merchant’s. The activities association does not track records on low golf scores.

“She was in a zone,” Bartholomew said. “Nothing around her got to her that day.”

That sizzling 63 broke her previous career best of 68, which she shot earlier in the season.

A returning 5A Jeffco player of the year and Denver Post All-Colorado selection, Merchant has been on a tear this spring. She has finished first in all six tournaments she’s played in — with a stroke average of 71. That’s a five-stroke improvement for her from 2013.

She placed third at the Class 5A state golf tournament last year. It was a strong performance for any prep golfer, let alone a freshman, but it left her hungering for more.

“My goal for this season is to win state,” Merchant said.

Already possessing a solid approach and strong short game, Bartholomew credits Merchant’s performance this season to her improved putting.

“We’ve had some great golfers,” Bartholomew said, “but I’ve never seen anybody as focused at practice. Her greatest strength: She’s got a great mental game. She doesn’t let a lot affect her on the course.”

Merchant is an up-and-comer in the world of golf. She qualified last July for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, showing just how far she has come since she picked up the game at age 8.

Sydney’s athletic prowess echoes her father’s. After his high school career, Mark was the No. 2 pick in Major League Baseball’s June 1987 draft, behind Ken Griffey Jr.

“She has big-time ability, as I did as a baseball player as a youth,” he said.

Merchant’s skills don’t show up just on the golf course. She played a variety of sports growing up, from soccer to softball.

“The first time I saw her play (soccer), I knew I saw something special about her,” said Phil Caldwell, coach of the under-16 Adrenaline-Cinza with the Colorado Rush. “There’s a fire inside her that pushes her in practice and in games.”

Merchant stopped playing other sports to concentrate solely on golf. Caldwell said she could have played soccer at the collegiate level if she continued in that sport.

But her aspirations lie elsewhere.

“My dream is to play college golf and play golf maybe for a living one day,” she said.

Sydney — who was born in Florida, but moved to Colorado with her family when she was 1 — said she would love to play at the University of Florida someday. Her family is moving to the Orlando area this summer, partly to allow her to play year-round.

College programs aren’t allowed to talk to her yet, but she is popping up on their radar.

“I have talked with a couple college coaches. They definitely know who she is,” Bartholomew said.

Until then, it’s about continuing to improve and working toward capturing that elusive state championship.

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